108 Destinies
by ClanCrusher
Summary: The war is over and everything goes back to normal right? Wrong. Due to some unforseen events, the Prince inherits an ancient power, and no one seems to want to leave the Prince's castle, or the Prince fot that matter. A Suikoden 5 production.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I don't normally do Suikoden fanfics. This is my first attempt at one actually. I got this idea after I had played through the game the first time and got the bad ending. This story takes place after the "bad ending."

Although I have not read any of the books, I am going with the name Faourish for the name of the prince since that seems the most commonly accepted. I also named my castle Stormwatch.

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It had been three days since Faourish and his friends had beaten the Sun Rune, and Stormwatch castle had fallen into a slump. The war was over and everyone was happy. It should have been just like the fairy tale endings, right?

Wrong.

Lyon was dead. She had died, taking the final hit for him just before the sun moth had died. Now that she was dead, he could easily admit to himself that he had loved her deeply. No matter what circumstances were, she was always by his side, supporting him to the very end.

And now she was gone.

He couldn't recall just how he had been able to get through the funeral without breaking down right then and there, but he had managed to make it to his room before crying himself to sleep. No one saw him for 2 days afterwards. He had his meals brought to him by Shun Min so he wouldn't have to face anyone.

It was on the third day that Georg had come to his room.

"Faourish. Open up. It's me."

"Go away."

"You can't stay in isolation forever. Open up before I have to break the door down."

Faourish sighed and went to open the door. He was slightly surprised when Georg walked in followed by Miakis, Galleon, and Kyle. Taking seats around his room the Queen's nights formed a semi-circle facing him.

"What do you guys want? The war is over. We won. Shouldn't you all be going back to the castle to serve Lym?"

"That just it Prince," cut in Miakis, "No one has left the castle ever since we won the war. Everyone's been wanting to talk with you. If it wasn't for a personal order from Lucerita herself to give you peace, we wouldn't be the only ones breaking down your door right now."

"So what do you all want? I would have figured that you guys would have at least gone back to the castle by now. Your duty is to the queen right?"

"Prince Ranma?" Everyone's eyes turned to Galleon, "May I have permission to speak freely?"

Overcoming his brief moment of shock, Faourish responded, "You don't even need to ask."

"I am going to be completely honest with you. I am insulted that you still call me a Queen's knight."

Faourish's jaw dropped, "Galleon?"

"Ever since your mom and dad died, that bastard Gizel has dragged the name of the queen's knights through the mud. Not only did the so called "noble knights" set fire to a civilian village, they conspired with Nether Gate, and welcomed their assassins into their ranks."

"But Galleon, surely you cant blame-"

"Please your highness, let me finish," Faourish nodded and he continued, "While some of this can be blamed on the Godwins, I will not forgive the traitors Zahhak and Alenia who merely stood by and did nothing as the royal family fought for their lives."

There was silence following this little outburst. In all his history with the Queen's knights, he had never known Galleon to be one to speak his mind. Even when asked.

"You…all feel this way?"

"Well," said Kyle thoughtfully, "I wouldn't put it in those exact terms, but that's pretty much the case."

Galleon wasn't done yet though, "I refuse to be known as a Queen's knight any longer. If you will have it prince, I would like to join your side as your own personal knight in the years I have left on this earth."

With that, Galleon laid his axe on the ground and kneeled down at the prince's feet.

It took a full minute for what Galleon had said to register in Faourish's brain. After collecting his wit, he answered, "Galleon? Are you sure you want to do this?"

"My mind is set prince."

"Then I accept you as the very first "Prince's knight."

Galleon stood up and bowed one last time before taking his seat.

"I want to do the same," said Kyle suddenly standing up, "You've always been there for me Prince, and you never did blame me for any of my shortcomings, even when I failed the royal family."

Faourish had to interject at this point, "That's not true Kyle. If you hadn't saved me from Dolph and Childrech back in the sun palace, I wouldn't be here today."

"See? Your doing it even now. But the point is, I want to be by your side too."

Faourish put a hand on Kyle's shoulder, "You're a good friend Kyle. I would be honored to have you by my side."

"I would like to join you as well," put in Georg, "Not only do I have no desire to go back to being a Queen's knight, I doubt that I would even be accepted back into their ranks after…" Georg trailed off leaving the sentence unfinished.

"It's okay Georg, I don't blame you. I blame the rune. It took both my parents and Lyon's life. That rune is the only thing to blame. And I would also be honored to have you serve beside me."

Miakis stood up and walked over to the prince. Taking one of his hands, she clasped it in both of hers, "Prince, I know that I can never take Lyon's place, and I don't want to. And I'm also sure that you don't want me to either."

Her tone of voice was a far cry from her usual cheerful self, showing the prince the true gravity of the situation and how important this was to her.

"But I wanted to know, if you would allow me to serve you as your personal bodyguard once again."

"O…of course Miakis."

"Thank you Prince!" And with that she enveloped him in a warm hug, nearly knocking him off his feet.

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Faourish brought his right arm across his chest in a closed fist salute, "Dismissed." Everyone filed out except Miakis.

Seconds after the Prince's knights exited the room, Lucretia entered, along with her two guards Cius and Lelei.

"The woman of the hour," said Faourish in way of greeting, "I don't think I've been given the proper opportunity to thank you for all the help you have been in this war."

Lucretia gave a small bow before speaking, "Not true your highness. I am only part of the reason why we won this war."

Faourish chuckled good naturedly, "Oh spare me. Right now you could tell me to jump off a cliff and I'd do it thinking it was all part of your strategy."

"You flatter me Prince, but I speak the truth."

"Really? What do you mean?"

"Hmm…" Lucretia thought for a moment, "Prince, do you know the difference between strategy and tactics?"

"Aren't they just the same thing?" He asked.

"Not quite. Strategy is the overall long term plan that you follow to win the battle. That is my area of expertise. Tactics are snap judgments made on the battlefield so your strategies don't go to pieces."

Faourish nodded in understanding.

"Every single battle from the time you fought off Armes while under lord Barows banner, to the final invasion at Sol-Falena, it was always you leading the troops into battle. It was you who directed the troops when they were vastly outnumbered and it was you who always emerged victorious."

Faourish sat and thought about that. It had always seemed that he had done nothing but follow her orders, but when she put things into that perspective…

"And that's not even considering all of the places you visited and all the troops you rallied to fight against the Godwins and their supporters."

"I see your point. And I also would like to point out that you haven't turned against me yet, so I must be doing a good job."

"Very true Prince," she turned to face her guards, "Cius, Lelei? Could you step outside for a moment?"

The two agreed and left the room.

"Miakis, could you leave the room as well?"

"But why?"

"I need to talk to the prince about a very delicate matter. The less people that know about it, the better."

"Its okay Miakis, its better that you don't hear this anyways."

Seeing Miakis about to object, Faourish added, "Please?"

"…Alright."

Lucretia sat down in a chair across from the Prince at his desk. They sat in silence for a minute or so before Faourish spoke, "You already know don't you? I should have known I couldn't hide it from you."

The strategist closed her eyes in thought for a second before speaking, "Let's say that I have a reasonable suspicion. Do you wish to confirm it?"

"Not really."

"Do it anyways."

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At the baths…

(Girls Side)

"So what do you plan on doing now?" asked Lorelai.

"Nothing."

"Nothing? Your not going back to…wherever you came from?"

"I can't."

"Why not?"

Zerase sighed, "I need to keep an eye on Faourish. Ever since Lyon died, Faourish has wanted to get away from it all and just disappear. Unfortunately, he can't do that now. He's too important."

"Why's that?"

"That will be up to him to explain."

(Guys Side)

"Hey Levi, you ok?"

Levi snapped out of his daze to see Ernst in human form, sitting across from him in the bath.

"Ernst! I was just thinking about you."

"You…were?"

"Yes I was. It's about your beast rune. I think that I might have finally found a way to remove it, or at least give you control over it."

"You have? Finally! What do I have to do?"

"Get the prince to go along with the plan. You see, during the final battle, I was present. When Lyon died, he inherited the twilight rune. But that's not all. I can't be certain, but I think he also picked up something that could help you as well."

"Don't keep me in suspense! How can he help me?"

Levi sighed, "Well, I can't be certain…so I'm going to leave the final decision up to him."

Ernst stood up and clenched his fist in front of him, "I'll go ask him right now!" With a flash, Ernst transformed into his cheetah form and raced out of the bath, scattering water everywhere.

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"So you were planning on running?"

Faourish sighed, "I was. Lyon was the only person who could tell us apart. No one would have noticed Roy had taken my place until I was long gone. But since the ex-queens knights pledged their loyalty to me, that's not really an option anymore. Not to mention…"

"Indeed. So what do you plan on doing now?"

"I…really don't know. I kinda just expected to go back to the castle, take a position on the sentate and help Lym become the official queen. But I guess I really can't do that either. It would create too much controversy between the warring factions."

"Very true prince. Now that you…

CRASH!

Faourish only had a few seconds to push Lucretia out of the way before he was tackled by a wet, panting cheetah. Seconds later Miakis ran into the room yelling.

"Ernst! What the hell are you doing?"

Ernst apparently wasn't paying attention. Quickly, he morphed into human form, speaking quickly and excitedly. Almost too fast to hear.

"Prince! Levi said that you had a cure for my beast rune! Do you? Huh?" He would have gone on if he hadn't been silenced by the Prince.

"Ernst, get off me and put on a towel or something."

As if just noticing his surroundings, Ernst sheepishly got off the Prince and grabbed a towel from the Prince's closet. It didn't stall his enthusiasm for long though.

"Well? Do you really have a cure?"

"Did Levi tell you what this cure is?"

"No. He only said it might work and that you have the power."

Faourish put his hand on his forehead and sighed in exasperation, "Of course. We have so many of those people here it couldn't stay secret for long," he turned to Ernst, "The answer to your question is maybe. I might have a way to cure it. But I'd need Levi and Jeane to help me, and I don't know if I want to reveal it to them just yet."

Lucretia, noticing a significant drop in Ernst's mood, spoke up, "Prince, you can't hide it forever. And you are using it to help someone in need."

Faourish sighed again. He'd been doing that a lot lately, "Miakis? Could you get Levi and Jeane up here for me?"

"Sure thing Prince."

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A/N: Any guesses to exactly what Faourish is hiding? Anyway, leave a review on the way out. This is my first attempt at one of these fanfics after all.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks for all the feedback! I'll try to live up to your expectations.

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Ernst paced impatiently around the room, his tail nervously twitching from side to side. For the first time in nearly 4 years he would finally be able to get rid of the beast rune once and for all.

Even thought he liked his hybrid form, it was incredibly inconvenient and sometimes downright frustrating to be locked in beast form for months at a time. One never really appreciated one's hands until they were without them.

That wasn't to say that his cheetah form was without merit. The town he originally came from was a hives nest for bandit raids. A great distance from the capitol city, the small village had to rely on their own local militia to fight off the bandits.

Shortly after acquiring the rune he was recruited into the militia at the young age of 15. Two bandit attacks later and the rumors had spread like wildfire that the 'poor defenseless village" had enslaved a powerful beast and used it to tear raiders to shreds.

In reality though, the village and militia were far from helpless, and the exaggerated rumors came from half crazed survivors from the bandit raids who had never seen a cheetah before. In the end though, the bandit raids dwindled and died off.

Having nothing to do and having no use for his beast form, Ernst set out with his childhood friend Norma to search for a cure. Then they met the prince and Levi. The rest was history.

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About an hour later, Ernst and Jeane had seated themselves in the Prince's room.

"I'm not going to beat around the bush," said the Prince finally breaking the silence, "I know you two well enough to know that you already know what I have."

"Indeed," said Levi, running a hand over his beard, "It is impossible to hide something of great power like that from a rune master such as myself."

Faourish ignored the egoism of the wizard and spoke to Jeane, "I don't know about you, but you must have an idea. You're skills are easily on par with Levi."

Jeane smiled at him in her usual seductive way, "You flatter me Prince."

"Will you people quit keeping secrets and just tell me what's going on?" Everyone turned towards Ernst.

Lucretia placed a hand on the were-cheetah's shoulder, "Patience. This is a very delicate matter."

"Levi? I originally thought that you were going to help him with this. Have you figured out a way to cure him?"

Levi bowed his head, "No I haven't. I've tried several methods of using the flowing rune with the water rune and even tried using methods theorized with the twilight rune, but I keep coming up negative."

"The side effect of the beast rune doesn't harm him physically or mentally," continued Jeane, "which makes the natural healing runes like flowing and water ineffective."

"This side-effect, or disease if you would, comes directly from the rune itself and gradually infects the body until it gets to the stage Ernst is currently at. Only a true rune would be able to "cure" him at that point."

Ernst suddenly cut in, "But you said that the Prince had a way to cure me! He doesn't own one of the true runes!"

Silence followed this short outburst.

"Does he?" he asked, suddenly uncertain.

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Stormwatch castle was a very busy place. After all, it housed over a hundred people, their pets, and their shops. There was always something going on and the corridors were usually busy.

Of course, this was of no concern to Byakuren and Genoh. Despite Genoh's slow walk, he left a wake in the crowd in which Byakuren followed behind.

Despite the camaraderie that was shared with the people of the castle, Byakuren tended to associate more with her own kind and was very good friends with the castle's resident monsters such as Genoh and the Dragon Horses. She didn't associate with many of the humans, and not many wanted to associate with her in the first place.

But Faourish was different.

The first time she had met the prince, they had been locked in combat. She had wanted to give the humans a scare so that she could have the place to herself again.

Thus she was completely unprepared for the fight that followed. Instead of running away, the human had calmly drawn out a quarter staff and fought her with great skill and energy. Caught by surprise in the first few seconds of the battle, she had taken several solid blows that turned the battle to the Princes favor. After five minutes, she had been subdued into near unconsciousness.

Looking up at the human with hate in her eyes as he brought his staff to her neck, she was shocked to see the man fold up his weapon and sheathe it behind him. Then with a mighty shove, she was back in the water.

But that wasn't the last time they had met.

Twice more, she had attacked the Prince, and twice more she had been knocked unconscious and thrown back into the water like a fish that was too small to eat. Although she had been fighting with more skill in the battles afterwards, the Prince was a very skilled fighter.

However, the fourth time she attacked, something else happened.

Faourish had been walking outside the castle after a light rainfall, making the ground treacherously slippery. Unfortunately for him, this was the day Byakuren had decided to attack again. He had always been very careful to keep the fights on land, as the creature was an excellent swimmer and could move faster in the water then he ever could.

In a moment of tactical genius, Byakuren had slammed her head into the bridge, causing the Prince to stumble and slip on the wood. With a mighty leap the sea serpent had knocked Faourish into the water.

Faourish had already drawn and locked his tri-nunchaku but it would be of little use to him in the water. Searching for his foe, he saw the serpent make a u-turn in the water and charge towards him. Positioning his staff in front of him, he braced himself for the final blow.

It never came.

Right before his eyes, the giant shell of Genoh rose from the water, cutting off the two fighters. Byakuren's attack smashed harmlessly into the rock hard shell of the ancient one. With one swift movement, Genoh had grabbed onto Faourish's wet clothes with his mouth and hauled him up on his back.

And then, the overgrown turtle spoke to her in her native language of hisses and clicks.

_  
"Peace my friend. Why is one as ancient as you seeking a fight with this human?"_

It took a couple seconds for Byakuren to register that the turtle was speaking to her in her own language.

"_You speak my language?"_ she asked, surprise evident in her voice.

"_Indeed. One as ancient as I am learns a great many things."_ Said Genoh in his slow sedate pace, _"What are you doing here attacking the Prince?"_

"You can talk to him?" asked the Prince suddenly.

"Her," he corrected gently, "and yes I can talk to her."

"_What are these humans doing in my lake?"_ asked Byakuren, _"I have lived here most of my life in seclusion but then these humans show up and begin to drain the lake and fish out the waters."_

Genoh translated this to Faourish who was wringing out his shirt, still sitting atop the turtles back.

"I'm sorry you feel this way, but we are here out of necessity and need, not want. Until our current issues are resolved I'm afraid we have no choice but to stay here."

Byakuren hissed something under her breath.

"You really don't want to know what she just said Prince," stated Genoh.

"Hmmm. Maybe we can work something out then."

"_And what deal would that be?"_

Genoh translated what she said to Faourish.

"Simple. You help us win the war we're currently fighting and then I'll restore your lake to you. I'll even put in a word with Raftfleet to regulate their fishing around this area so that you can still eat here."

Another series of hisses and translations later, Genoh told Faourish, "Byakuren says that she does not know or trust these 'Raftfleet' people but she trusts you to keep your word. She has also said that she will help you win your war."

The Prince had kept his word. He lessened the fishing around the castle and made all of the fishing games held by Raftfleet catch and release only.

Again, though, that wasn't the last time they had met.

Several times afterwards, the Prince had come down to visit her. She was suspicious of his visits at first, but she soon learned that he held no hostile intent. He was a decent swimmer by human standards, and sometimes he would bring a string of fish to feed her.

One time he had even brought her cooked fish, a delicacy she had never tasted before.

He had even told her some of his deeper thoughts. The Prince saw her as some sort of outlet for his feelings, because she would not let slip any of his secrets, whether on accident or purpose.

_Flashback_

"Byakuren! Are you around?" The Prince called to the still face of the water.

Several ripples answered him as the head of the snake like creature surfaced from the water. Smiling to himself he took a seat on the wooden walkway and dangled his bare feet in the water like a small child would.

"Hssssss," Byakuren slithered up next to the prince and licked his pocket. Laughing, Faourish withdrew the fish he had been keeping in there.

"And Retso was wondering why I wanted one of these," he said as he threw the fish to the sea-serpent who caught it gracefully in her mouth, devouring it in one gulp.

The two sat their silently for a few minutes, Faourish looking at the sunset while absentmindedly petting the head of Byakuren as he would a cat or dog. At first the serpent was wary of this treatment, not wanting to seem like a domesticated pet, but she found that she actually enjoyed the feeling, even going as far to develop a purr that sounded slightly like running water.

"Have you ever had love problems?" asked Faourish suddenly. Byakuren shook her head no.

"Never? You've never been in love with another male of your kind?"

At this, Byakuren's head drooped. The Prince instantly knew that he had touched on a sensitive matter. But he had to ask the question.

"Are you…the last of your kind?"

Eyes down, the sea-serpent nodded her head yes.

"I'm sorry…I didn't realize…" Before he could finish his sentence Byakuren shook her head vehemently before licking the Prince's face with her forked tongue. Her way of saying, "Don't worry about it."

The Prince sighed again before turning back to the sunset, "Why does human love have to be so complicated?"

"Hssssssss?"

"Well, it's like this. Lyon has been my childhood friend for as long as I can remember, and I'm not sure but I think I like her more than a childhood friend. But I'm not sure she sees me that way."

"Hsssssss?"

"It's kind of hard to explain," he elaborated, "What if I like her and she doesn't like me? Would we even be able to remain friends after that? And what if it turns out I really don't like her? It's all so complicated."

Byakuren wasn't really sure what to say to that. The Prince was in a funk and she couldn't really break him out of it unless Genoh was around. So she did the next best thing.

It took Faourish exactly three seconds to realize that Byakuren had repositioned her coils directly behind him. By then it was too late.

PUSH! SPLASH!

Coughing and sputtering from his impromptu dive in the water, Faourish glared at the smiling serpent who was lying on the dock.

"Oh ha ha. Very funny. I'm glad to see you're so sympathetic."

Byakuren merely smiled mischievously at him again before diving into the water. The Prince couldn't help it, and in spite of himself, began to laugh.

"Thanks for listening Byakuren," he said as the sea-serpent surfaced next to him. Byakuren nodded her head once before wrapping her tail around the Prince's waist and squeezing softly in a sea-serpent hug.

_End Flashback_

But now things were changing. The Prince hadn't gone to see her in a week. Every time she had gone up to his door, she had been turned away by the nervous guards. She was going to find out what was going on, and this time no guards would stop her.

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"Does he?" asked Ernst again, a tinge of hopelessness hanging in his voice.

The Prince sighed. He had seen this coming a long time ago and knew there was no way to avoid it, but that didn't make it any easier. Tentatively, Faourish reached a shaking hand to his headband and, with one swift move, pulled it off completely.

The room was suddenly illuminated by a brilliant flash of light. When everyone had regained their sight, the Prince was standing in the middle of the room, the Dawn Rune glowing on his right hand, the Twilight Rune glowing on his Left, and…

The Sun Rune was shinning brilliantly on his forehead.

Ernst stared, slightly horrified and slightly in awe. The very thing that they had been fighting in this war, the thing that had essentially killed his mother and father, and the symbol of all Falena, was attached to the Princes head shinning like a small sun.

"So, you really do own it then," commented Levi idly.

"Yes he does, his destiny and future will greatly affect the land of Falena, or perhaps even the world."

Faourish sighed and smacked his forehead lightly, "You know Zerase you're really going to have to tell me how to do that someday."

"It comes with the job," she said simply, "and speaking of jobs, you're about to have a very big one on your hands."

"Great. And I suppose that you have absolutely no intention of telling me what the hell is going on until I've already figured it out or until it's too late."

"No, this time I'll spell it out for you," she said to the shock of everyone, "you are the symbol of Falena and everything it stands for. People believe in you more than your sister right now, and you have the complete support of everyone in this castle."

"Not everyone," he amended, "Some people are here just because I'm paying them."

"You still don't get it do you?" asked Zerase, slightly annoyed, "Did Muller and Whilmer every charge you for their employment in nearly all of your battles?"

"Well, no but…"

"Did Richard ever ask to be paid for his service to you?"

"He was just following orders…"

"What about Loreli and Zweig? After they had discovered the ruins they were seeking was there any reason at all for them to stay with you?"

"They needed my rune to open…"

"What about Kyle, Georg, Miakis, and Galleon? The people who would forsake their very duties to the crown they serve to help you?"

The Prince stayed silent at this. There really was no answer to that question.

"Maybe you don't realize it yet, but you have a lot of friends in high places who respect you more than they do the crown right now. You don't seem to realize that with your deeds and acts, you've gained more power than any one person in Falena."

"It's true prince," cut in Lucretia, "You've made unofficial alliances with the Island Nations, the elves, and even a faction of Armes. You've brought together every single faction in Falena from scientists and runologists, to gladiators and thieves."

"You know, I like all the ego boosting you guys are giving me, but shouldn't we be helping Ernst?"

Ernst, who had been sitting in the corner the entire time jumped up at the mention of his name.

"Ernst come over here," commanded Jeane, all traces of her flirtatious personality gone, replaced with a professional attitude.

The were-cheetah stood in front of Jeane and beside the prince, his excitement showing in the slight twitch of his tail.

"Faourish," Levi commanded, "Stand over here by Ernst."

Faourish got up from his seat and stood beside Ernst, the three runes on his body still glowing slightly.

Levi and Jeane made eye contact, "On three then," he said.

Both of them took out their staffs, "1…2…3!"

In perfect unison, both magicians traced a complicated pattern through the air, the runes attached to their staves glowing brightly. Nothing happened for a second, and then a bright sphere enclosed the Prince and the cheetah.

"We've put a null barrier around you," Jeane explained, "This way any magic that escapes your hold won't affect anyone in the castle."

"That is, if we can hold it against the power of the sun rune," amended Levi.

"Oh, don't be so pessimistic."

"I think I will take my leave now," commented Lucretia, "It is not safe for one who is not protected to be in a room full of great magic," With a polite bow, the strategist left the room."

Taking Ernst's hand that held the beast rune, the Prince began to focus the power of the Dawn and Twilight rune into the beast rune. He wanted to put off using the sun rune for as long as he could. Carefully tracing the pattern of healing on his hand, the Prince began to push the healing energy into the beast rune. Then, something began to fight back.

The dark energy was mounting an attack against the healing energy, driving it out and dispelling it. The retaliation was so quick and efficient that his concentration broke and he was thrown back against the shield.

"Gently Prince," suggested Levi as the Prince got back to his feet, "Runes naturally don't like other powers corrupting them. Try it slower this time."

Repeating the process, Faourish began again, this time letting the healing energy trickle in like a leaky faucet. But as soon as the first drop touched the dark energy, he found himself being forcefully thrown out again.

"Fascinating," commented Levi, "The power of this beast rune is a match even for the Dawn and Twilight runes! I've never seen such dispelling power in a common rune."

"That's nice," Faourish grumbled, picking himself up off the ground for the second time, "now are you going to tell me how to bet it or should I just do this until the shield breaks?"

"The only way that you're going to beat it, is by destroying the dark energy with the sun rune. Fight fire with fire Prince."

The sun bearer sighed and steeled himself for the influx of power he knew that was coming. Taking Ernst's hand again, the Prince drew the sign of dispel on the cheetahs hand. Then without further ceremony, he simultaneously slammed the power of all three runes into the dark energy.

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Byakuren hissed in annoyance as she faced Miakis outside the Prince's room, who had adamantly refused her entry. The battle had not come to arms yet, but Genoh was rather reluctant to translate some of her more 'descriptive' hisses.

Miakis sighed and relaxed her battle posture as the sea serpent turned around. She was not the only one who had asked for the prince since she started standing outside his door. Zegai had almost challenged her on the spot when she had denied him entry. Fortunately Georg had been nearby to calm the mercenary.

She didn't notice the tail that had wrapped around her foot until she had been thrown 10 feet across the room.

Quickly overcoming her surprise at being thrown, Miakis got back up with her daggers drawn, but Byakuren had already entered the room. Rushing towards the door, she was shocked to find her way blocked by Genoh.

"Genoh! Get out of my way! I need to stop her before she interrupts…"

"Patience small friend. Let Byakuren do what she wants."

"She can't just barge into a room that has a guard by it!"

Genoh sighed heavily, "The Prince was the first true friend that Byakuren ever had. She feels that the guards are trying to take him away. It is better that you do not interrupt for right now you could only make things worse."

Miakis was starting to get pissed but Genoh was standing in the doorway and trying to use her daggers on him would have been about as effective as hitting a rock.

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The power was so great the Prince nearly broke the connection out of surprise. This is what his mom felt when she destroyed Lordlake, and it was easy, much too easy, to loose himself in the power.

'NO!,' he shouted forcefully in his mind, 'I won't let this thing control me!'

Forcefully, the Prince bent the power to his will and pushed it against the darkness of the beast rune.

While the beast rune was powerful, it was like a kitten compared to the sun runes lion and was almost instantly over whelmed. Faourish felt Ernst's hand tighten around his in a vice like grip.

"Ease up Prince," shouted Levi from outside the magic circle, "You're using too much power!" Jeane and Levi were struggling to hold the circle now, and only a tenth of the sun runes full power was being used.

Faourish tried to follow the magician's orders, but recalling the power released from the sun rune was more difficult than directing it. He felt Ernst's hand shift under him into his cheetah form, his claws digging deep into his skin, making blood flow.

The pain seemed to further intensify the power the sun rune was putting out. Both people inside the circle had started to glow with a white aura, power rolling off the Prince in waves.

Then, the circle broke.

The magical backlash was incredible. Levi and Jeane threw up their most powerful personal shields in time but Ernst and the Prince had no such protection. He was picked up and thrown against the wall while Faourish rocketed towards the door…

…and was caught in the coils of Byakuren who had just entered the room. There was a moment of silence, and then the whole room went white.

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A/N: And that's a wrap!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I'm back. What more can I say?

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"How long has he been out?" asked Zegai, standing next to Miakis.

"Two days now." Responded the bodyguard. Like Lyon used to do, Miakis was holding vigilance by the Prince's side while he slept, only leaving to eat and use the bathroom.

Zegai closed his eyes for a minute in thought, "I think he's had enough sleep now. The bearer of the sun rune would have an excellent recharge rate," grabbing a nearby bucket, Zegai used the nearby sink to fill it with water.

"Hey wait a second! Magical energy isn't as easily recovered as regular energy!" protested Miakis, trying to block Zegai's path.

The gladiator brushed past her and went to the Prince's bedside.

SPLASH!

"Cough! Cough! What the…where am I? Why am I wet?"

Blinking a few times to adjust his vision, Faourish looked around and found himself in the healing ward, "What happened?"

"Good morning Prince, glad to see you're up."

"Sorry Prince, I tried to stop him but he wouldn't listen.

"Zegai? Miakis? What are you guys doing here?"

"I'm your bodyguard silly," said Miakis cheerfully, seeing that the Prince was alright, "And I have no idea what that ogre is doing here."

Zegai ignored Miakis and tossed something towards the Prince. Reflexively, Faourish reached out and caught his folded tri-nunchaku, "Oh crap."

The ex-gladiator smirked, "I believe we have about a weeks worth of training to catch up on, and you've had a nice two day rest as well."

Groaning, the Prince willed his tired limbs into motion and rose from the bed, "Oh man, it feels like I just got hit with the twilight rune again."

"And I was with your squad when you got hit with it," responded Zegai nonchalantly, "it wasn't that bad and I was still able to take out Childrech."

"Prince, you don't have to get up yet," protested Miakis weakly.

"It's ok Miakis, he used to do this every morning, and I have been neglecting my training for the past week," reassured Faourish.

"That's the spirit," said Zegai.

As they started to walk out of the hospital Faourish called over his shoulder, "Coming Miakis? You might need to protect me from Zegai if he trounces me too badly."

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A fifteen minute walk later found them outside the castle grounds in a clearing within a small forest. Several small tree stumps gave the impression that trees had been cut down just for these two fighters. With a silent nod, Zegai and Faourish brought out their weapons and began their workout.

Miakis watched fascinated as Zegai and Faourish performed weapon katas in almost perfect symmetry. The fact that Zegai was wielding a spear and the Prince was using a staff had almost no effect on their precision. Aside from the spear being a little heavier and more dangerous, it was essentially a staff with a blade.

They started out slow, warming up their muscles, steadily going faster until their weapons were nothing more than a blur in the morning sun. Still, they were perfectly timed as to not interfere with each other or with the surroundings. Miakis could have sworn she felt air pressure coming from their attacks.

Finally, at their peak speed, they suddenly stopped, standing on one foot in perfect balance, before slowly resuming the kata. The whole spectacle seemed to last for hours but after 10 minutes, the Prince dropped to the ground for breath.

"Its good to see that you week long vacation hasn't affected your skills much," complimented Zegai as he took a drink from the water skin before tossing it to the Prince.

"Th-thank you," he managed to get out between breaths before taking a drink from the water skin Zegai tossed him, "I needed that."

"Of course you did, now are you ready for the real training?"

Rising off the ground all trace of fatigue vanished from the Prince like a Phoenix rising from the ashes. Readying his staff in the attack position, Faourish prepared to face off against the master gladiator.

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"You know, you could have gone a little easier on him," said Miakis as she lugged the Prince's unconscious body over her shoulder.

"He'll never learn if I do that. He should have blocked that last strike anyways."

"I could barely see it! How on earth could he have blocked it?"

"That's why he's training."

"Just because he's training doesn't mean he has to get knocked out for it,"

"Why not? What better way to learn than experience?"

"Its true Miakis," broke in a new voice, "Ferid knocked me out plenty of times during my training."

"That's only because you kept skipping out on training to go skirt chasing in the city," retorted Miakis to the newly arrived Kyle.

"That's beside the point, anyway that's not what I'm here for. Lucretia sent me to deliver a message to the Prince."

"Well you'll have to wait because _somebody_," she said adding emphasis, "felt the need to beat him over the head with a training lesson."

"Yeah, Lucretia told me this might happen, so she told me to bring this," he finished procuring a new water skin. Miakis hastily set Faourish on the ground before Kyle upended the contents onto the Prince.

"Gah! What the…where's Zegai? And why do people keep throwing water on me?" Looking around, he spotted the Gladiator, "I fell for it again didn't I?"

Zegai smirked and responded, "A spear is just a staff with a blade at the end of it. It's the staff part you have to watch out for."

"Prince, I have a message for you," broke in Kyle.

"Kyle? What is it?" said the Prince getting up and dusting himself up.

"It's Byakuren and Ernst, they've woken up and something strange happened,"

"Strange?"

"She didn't say anything else, but she said she needed you to calm Byakuren down. Miakis can come too."

"Like you could stop me."

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"At ease."

"Thank you Prince," said the two guards stationed outside of his room.

Faourish, followed by Miakis and Kyle, entered his room to see Lucretia sitting on a chair with Ernst standing next to her in hybrid form.

"Alright, give me the good news first then,"

"Ernst is cured," she said simply.

"But he's still in hybrid form, I thought he wanted to become human again."

"Nah," broke in Ernst suddenly, "I like this form better than my human one, its stronger, faster, and chicks dig the tail."

"Well then, you're welcome. Now what happened to Byakuren?"

"Levi and Jeane are still trying to figure that out. Apparently she somehow inherited the Beast Rune when she walked in on our little magic experiment."

"The Beast Rune? But she's already a beast, what could that possibly do to her?"

"Well, why don't you look for yourself?" So saying Lucertia pulled the blanket off of Byakuren.

The Prince had seen some strange things in his travels, and hybrids weren't exactly uncommon to see, but a hybrid cross between a Byakuren and a human definitely topped his list.

Her human body was covered with the silver scales that adorned the serpent's body, giving her a metallic gleam. Someone had been decent enough to clothe her, but it was obvious to tell she had all of the female parts as well.

The eyes still maintained their lurid red glow and were shaped like a snakes, and her hair also had the same silver color, but a softer, less metallic shade.

"How is this possible?" said the Prince, dropping the blanket in shock, "I thought the Beast Rune transformed humans into beasts, not the other way around!"

"There are many things about runes that we do not know, but that is beside the point. Byakuren is sleeping now, thanks to a small spell. When she woke up the first time, her reaction was rather violent, that's why we want you on hand to pacify her if we can't explain the situation to her in time. I've already sent for Genoh, he should be here shortly."

Kyle looked over the Prince's shoulder, "Man Prince, I don't know how you do it, but you seem to get all the beauties in your army somehow. It must be the silver hair."

Miakis elbowed Kyle, "Keep your mind on the job for a second. We're on standby in case she goes crazy again."

"I shall take my leave of this," cut in Lucretia, "I don't think I'll be much help now. And keep it short Prince, the people are expecting a public announcement from you." Lucretia slowly walked out the door, flanked by her personal guards Cius and Lelei.

"Kyle? Could you go get Retso to fix up some food? I think she's going to be hungry after being out two days, and I haven't eaten yet either."

"Sure thing Prince."

As Kyle exited the room, Faourish gently placed a hand on the serpent-turned-human's head, calling upon the power of the Dawn Rune to dispel the magic sleep induced by Lucretia.

The red eyes, which had been half open before, snapped fully awake. With a loud angry hiss, the sea-serpent began thrashing about wildly in the bed.

"Woah! Byakuren, its me, Faourish! Calm down!" His words fell on deaf ears though as the serpent girl continued to thrash about, unfamiliar to the surroundings and new limbs.

"Miakis, hold her legs!" Nimbly, the bodyguard darted forward, dodged the kicking limbs and held them down with strength belying her size and stature, "Byakuren! Look at me!"

Holding her arms with one hand, the Prince grabbed the serpent's chin and forced her to look at him. After a few seconds, the Prince felt her muscles relax and released his hold on her. Miakis did the same.

"Hissssssss…"

"Byakuren, I don't know what's happened, but try to stay calm okay?"

Tentatively, Byakuren nodded.

"You've transformed into a human, we don't know how it happened, but its going to be a while until you get used to the changes."

"Hssssssss?"

"I'm sorry this happened to you, I'll try to fix this as fast as I can." Faourish slowly let go of her arms, still cautious of an attack.

Weakly, the sea serpent raised a hand and patted him on the shoulder as if to say everything was all right.

"Kyle?" asked the Prince as the door opened to admit Shun Min and the bodyguard, "Do me a favor and look after her until I get back. I have a public announcement I need to make."

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In a lesser place, it may have taken hours for over a hundred people to gather in one place, but in Stormwatch it took only thirty minutes for everyone to gather in the audience hall.

There was some minor chatting going through the crowd, but that died out instantly as soon as the Prince stood in front of the crowd.

Taking a deep breath as if he was about to plunge into a swimming hole, the Prince began his planned speech.

"In all honestly, my thanks to each and every one of you should have come a week ago at the conclusion of this war. None of this would have been possible if it weren't for each and every one of you. All of our factions, human and non-human alike, working together towards one goal is the true spirit of Falena!"

A round of cheers came after that statement, but quieted immediately when Faourish raised his hand.

"I'm afraid though, that I have some bad news for all of you. As many of you know, the final battle against the sun rune was fierce, and it ended up claiming the life of my personal bodyguard, and because of that, I inherited the twilight rune."

With that the Prince held up the orange rune on his left hand, its glow illuminating the whole audience chamber.

"But there was something else that I told no one. The Twilight Rune wasn't the only rune that chose me to be its bearer that day, for I now possess the sun rune as well." Bringing up one hand to his headband, the Prince tore it off to reveal the delicate pattern inscribed on his forehead.

Someone standing outside the hall might have thought a bombshell had just gone off in the audience chamber. It took several commands from the faction leaders and the Prince to restore order.

"I do not blame any of you if you wish to leave the castle now. I have tried to remove it through magic means but it appears that this rune has bonded to me as well."

"Finally, I would like all of the faction leaders to meet me in the conference room for a final debriefing. That is all, you are dismissed."

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"This new revelation has put my mind in conflict," said Talgeyl sadly as he looked down at the table, hands folded in front of him, "I thought highly of royal family until the incident with the sun rune. Over time I reasoned to myself that our real enemy was the sun rune and the Godwins who wished to use it. Now, I really don't know what to think."

"Well, if its any constilation to you, I haven't heard any voices inside my head telling me to kill my allies. I leave that kind of stuff to Nether Gate and the Godwins."

The aged semi-leader of Lordlake looked up in surprise.

"What? You expect that just because I have a new addition to my face that I'm suddenly going to start killing my friends now?"

"But Prince, the Queen couldn't even handle the power of the sun rune. What makes you think that you'll be able to handle it any better than her?"

Galleon lightly tapped his halberd on the ground making a soft sound echo throughout the stone room, "Please speak respectfully in his highnesses presence."

"Talgeyl is right to be suspicious of the prince," broke in Georg, "They have, after all, been on the receiving end of the Sun Rune's power before."

"I don't blame you either," said the Prince, "I won't try and stop you if you wish to pull your troops out of this castle, but I would like for use to still be allies."

Talgeyl stood up indignantly, "My dear Prince, I never said I didn't trust you, I merely do not trust the abomination attached to your forehead! You're our captain, the leader of our resistance, a hero in the eyes of Falena! It is merely the rune I do not trust, not you. You are one of the people that I trust the most."

"So if you trust me, then will you trust me in saying that I wish you would support the new Queen Lymselia?"

"It will be difficult for anyone in Lordlake to trust the crown again unfortunately. My people would much rather throw their support behind you."

"Me? Please explain."

"While I have no doubt that Lymselia will one day be a competent ruler, she is still just a child and is easily overshadowed by politicians wishing to remove power from her. The likely case is that a retainer will be assigned to her until she comes of age and the retainer will wish to take power for himself, or herself, as well. With the Barrows and the Godwin faction crumbling, other political parties are rushing in to fill the vacuum of power."

"Naturally, but these factions pose little threat. The territory of Stormfist is under the control of the crown and the nobles in Rainwall are disbanding from Euram Barrows as we speak."

(A/N: If you haven't figured it out yet, this story goes with Eresh as the last star of destiny)

"Forgive me for saying this, but you're wrong Prince. Stormfist is not under control of the crown, it is under YOUR control. And frankly, I'd much rather have you fill that vacuum of power rather than some other sleazy politician. Just remember that you'll always have the support of Lordlake, Sun Rune or not."

With that, Talgeyl stood up, picked up his straw hat off the table and exited the meeting room.

"Well," said the Prince airily, "That was…unexpected."

"But not unreasonable Prince," said Lucretia, sitting on his left, "You know the attitude of Lordlake towards the crown, although I can't quite respect your decision to bow out of the political system when you own all of its symbols."

"Neither do I," said Taylor sitting a couple seats down from him. He had asked the Prince if he could take notes on the meetings to give reports on the aftermath of the war. Faourish had let him without a second thought. After all, who was he to deny the right of the press?

"It's strange really," said the Prince offhandedly, "The whole time when I was fighting, I was focused solely on one goal, and that was to defeat the Godwins. Now that their faction is gone, I really don't know what to do now."

"What you need Prince," said a new voice, "is a vacation."

The Prince looked up to see the Raftfleet officials, including Logg, Lun, and Subala standing in the doorway. Silently, the five filed in and took seats around the table.

"A…vacation?"

"Exactly. From the first time you visited us to the final fight with the Lunar Moth when was the last time you actually took some time off for yourself?"

"Well there was the time I went to meet with the Island Nations representatives…that can technically be counted…"

"You went over there to fight pirates, a sea monster, and recruit four people, including two of the navy's finest, into our ranks."

"Well what about the time I…"

"You were tracked by five assassins and you indirectly started another one of our battles just as our portable catapult got developed, allowing us to wipe them out."

"There was that one time when we went incognito to…"

"The only one who was fooled by those disguises was the town drunk, and he was passed out. Not to mention that town was next on the hit list for the Godwins."

"Okay so maybe that wasn't exactly a vacation, but there was that one time," Raja gazed at him skeptically, "Okay your right. I haven't had a vacation in over a year. So what?"

"So your judgment is compromised and you may make decisions you regret. Take some time off, go visit some different lands or something, just get away from here for a while."

"Ya know? She's right an all," piped in Logg, "Ever since Ferid and Arshtat kicked the bucket an all, you really haven't really had time to relax." His comment was interrupted by Lun comically slamming her boathook on his head.

"Stop talking."

"The point is Prince," broke in Raja, "You need a break, and Raftfleet is willing to provide you a ship so you can take a couple weeks off. Then you can decide what you're going to do then."

Faourish bowed his head in thought for a bit, "I'll consider your offer. Right now I still have to meet with the Dragon Calvary, the Beavers, the Dwarves, and several other factions as well. It's going to take the better part of the day so forgive me if I can't give you an answer right away."

"Naturally Prince. Raftfleet is going to hand around in the area for another week or so, please take your time to decide." With a final nod Raja left, taking her crew with her.

"Well what do you think Lucretia? Should I take a vacation?"

Lucretia closed her eyes in thought for a minute like she always did when making an important decision. Everyone in the room was silent, waiting for her dictation. Finally she opened her eyes, "Although it may not be in out best interests I think we could use one."

The Prince nodded almost automatically agreeing with her, then something clicked in his mind, "Wait a second, what do you mean we?"

"Of course I mean we Prince. I'm still in service to you after all."

"But…the wars over. I didn't think you'd be hanging around much longer."

"Just because I am a tactician doesn't mean my skills are suited solely for the battlefield."

"Care to elaborate a bit?" asked Miakis, saving Faourish the trouble.

"Like it or not Prince, you are going to be thrown into Falena's political system eventually. Foreign countries will be requesting your hand in marriage, people will be, to put it bluntly, kissing your ass to gain your favor. You may have been taught the basics of your political system from your education at the castle but that has hardly prepared you for all the pitfalls and twists that politics encompass. The fact that we have a child on the throne, no offense to Lymsellia, does not make things easier."

"Well when you put it that way," grumbled Miakis loud enough for Lucretia to hear. She ignored her.

"You might have already heard this from some of the more snobbish nobles, but Prince's in Falena are usually nothing more than a figurehead to be married off in order to forge alliances between other countries. You, however, probably hold more power and sway over the people than Lymsellia does right now."

"Politics can be just as dangerous as the battlefield at times, and it requires a sharp mind to navigate through it, which is why I'm staying with you for the time being," lowering her voice a bit she continued, "and I really need a vacation too."

Faourish couldn't help but smirk at her last comment, "Alright then, it's settled. Once we finish disbanding the army then we join up with Raja and the crew."

"Sir!"

All of the speakers looked up to see a soldier in standard issue armor walk into the room.

"What is it?" asked the Prince suddenly feeling very tired.

"Craig, Roog, and Rahal are here to see you."

"Send them in."

Craig entered point position with Roog and Rahal to his left and right. When he stood before the Prince, he brought his fist to his chest, inclining his head slightly as a show of respect.

"Normally I wouldn't have put this meeting off for so long, but I suppose all of us needed this week to mourn," opened Craig, "I had funerals to attend to yesterday, a fifth of my men didn't make it through the war and a sixth of our dragon horses are dead as well, so I respect your privacy, unprofessional as it is."

Faourish replayed the comment a few times in his head trying to find where it lay on the insult-compliment scale.

"But that's not why I'm here."

"Why are you here then?"

"It's actually because of this little guy right here. Yoran! Bring him in please."

Yoran, followed by Nick, entered the room leading a Dragon Horse by his collar. He was gold colored with flecks of white scattered across his underbelly.

The Prince stood up surprised, but then slowly approached the golden beast.

"Saber?"

As if in answer to his question, the gold dragon-horse nodded its head and butted its head against the Prince's chest.

_Flashback: Gordius (Dragon Horse Lair)_

"Well, that's another set of asses down in this war," said the Prince to no one in particular as he was cleaning off his Tri-Nunchaku. Usually when fighting humans he didn't have to clean his weapons but, well let's just say that he was getting annoyed with Nether Gate.

All around him the camp was starting to come alive with trainees and dragon horses alike. Roog had been right, the place was lively and even now people of ages ranging from 12 to 20 were lining up for morning combat practice.

"So, can we expect your support now?" asked Faourish as he heard Rahal come up behind him.

"Yes, we've already sent a messenger to Craig, our units should coordinate with yours for the reclaiming of the castle."

Faourish didn't look back at Rahal, but continued to watch the dragon horses as their trainers saddled them up.

"What's wrong with that dragon horse?" asked Faourish pointing towards a gold colored beast lying on the ground.

"Oh him?" The Prince turned around to see that Rahal's face had turned suddenly grim, "He was born lame. Not his fault but as a dragon horse he's useless."

"What's going to happen to him?"

"Well, he's to be scheduled for execution. He can't fight or carry a rider, and if he was to breed then he might…Prince?"

At the word execution, the Prince had already gotten up and began walking towards the creature. The dragon horse didn't even protest when the Prince had sat down next to him.

'His spirit is crushed,' thought the Prince, 'He already seems to know what fate awaits him simply because he was born.'

Slowly running a hand over his head, the Prince examined the dragon horse closely. He, or she, was slightly smaller than Ax, his (or her) horns barely developed. One of its legs hung limply at its side, evidence of its unnatural birth.

Slowly running a hand over its legs, the Prince was surprised to see the Dawn Rune glow of its own accord. Focusing on that thread of released power, Faourish let the magic guide him.

Rahal was about to interrupt, but was stopped by Georg, "Let him work."

For one brief moment, the Prince's body glowed entirely blue, and then the color slowly started to drain from the Prince into the dragon horse's leg. Georg could have sworn that the Prince's eyes glowed blue for a brief moment as he opened them, nearly collapsing from the strain.

"Prince, are you okay?" asked Rahal running forward and catching him before he fell backwards onto the grass.

"I'm…fine," he gasped out, "How…is…he?"

"She Prince," Rahal corrected, "And…well I don't know really."

Everyone turned their attention back towards the comatose dragon horse. Slowly, shakily at first, the child dragon horse began to rise, wobbling on the newfound strength in its leg. It began walking forward a few steps its posture becoming surer with each pace, a wave of confidence slowly overcoming its features and posture.

"I don't believe it," said Roog, awe clearly evident in his voice, "What on earth did you do to her?"

"I don't know," said the Prince seriously, "The Dawn rune was speaking to me, telling me that I had the power to heal him."

"I'm glad you did," said Rahal, "He was a beautiful dragon horse and we were putting off his execution for as long as we could, but Craig is sort of a stickler for tradition and the old fashioned rules."

The dragon horse, having figured full use of her limbs, began to pace around at a slow trot in a circle around the group. After a few minutes of this she began to look at her surroundings as if she were discovering them for the first time again.

"So what's going to happen to her now?" asked the Prince as he got to his feet.

"Well, normally we'd try to find her a rider from our trainees, but in this case…"

WHAM!

The Prince sucked in air as he got the wind knocked out of him after being tackled by the gold dragon horse. She wasn't very big, but she had considerable weight and enough momentum to knock him over. Georg nearly had his sword unsheathed before Roog grabbed his arm.

"…the only person who she would let ride her now is you."

As if to prove his point, the healed dragon horse began licking Faourish's face. The Prince laughed in spite of himself, "Woah girl, okay that's enough."

Thankfully the dragon horse stopped licking him, however she still didn't let him up.

"Roog, does this dragon horse have a name I can call her?"

"No, we never really thought she'd be around long enough to answer to one, although we usually name them after weapons."

Slowly, Faourish reached up a hand to pet the dragon horse on the head, "Then I guess your new name is going to be Saber."

Saber closed her eyes and nodded her head as if to agree with the name.

Unfortunately, there were several complications that kept him from seeing Saber again. Craig, while grateful for the healing, could not spare the resources to transfer her with the main troops. All that he took for the reclaiming of the castle was a hundred stout men who rode fast and hard for a day and a half. It was enough though.

Working in conjunction with the beavers they were able to sink the entire sea force stationed there without suffering a single casualty. After clearing the way, Raja's flagship and another archer ship were able to drive back Childrech's unit. The rest of the troops surrendered.

In the oncoming war, Saber had been forgotten amidst the battles, traveling, and Sialeeds' betrayal. But now…

_End Flashback_

"What's she doing here?" asked the Prince, showing the first sign of happiness that day. Saber had grown in the time he had been away. Although she still wasn't big enough to ride, she had grown from waist height to chest level.

"From what the trainers tell me, she practically broke her stable trying to get out. We tried to find another rider for her, but, like Rahal said, she won't take another. Many dragon horses, including Axe, Flail, and Lance, bond for life if they think their riders are worthy."

"So…what happens now?" asked Faourish while absentmindedly stroking Saber's head.

"Now? Well obviously you need to be trained. You weapons skills are incredible so we don't need to train those, but there are various arts on horseback that you must be schooled in. For instance, a staff is not quite the ideal tool to use on a dragon horse, and archery is much more challenging when you are in motion."

"I have ridden horses before," said the Prince indignantly.

"Yes but I doubt any horse you've ridden could jump six feet or move faster in water then on land."

"Fair enough I suppose," he said grudgingly, "but aren't you returning to castle Sauronix?"

"Yes, and normally I would require someone bonded with a dragon horse to come to Sauronix to complete his training."

"You know I can't do that Craig," reminded the Prince.

"Of course you can't," he agreed, "But a dragon horse isn't a responsibility to be taken lightly. They are a symbol of Falena, much like the runes you bear."

"So what are you suggesting then?"

"Simply to assign you a personal trainer who can instruct you in the care of your dragon horse, as well as give you flute lessons."

"Personal trainer? Who were you thinking about?"

"Rahal," said Craig simply.

"My sister," broke in Rahal, "has expressed wishes to stay here. She claims that this castle has a particularly pleasing sound to it. She also said that she will help you construct your flute."

Faourish involuntarily shivered. Even though he didn't mention her name he still got the shakes whenever she was mentioned. Looking back on it, he really had no idea what possessed him to ask her to join him, but then again, he was still wondering why people like Cornelio were still sticking around.

"So," said the Prince after an awkward moment of silence, "Now that that's out of the way, what did you guys want to talk about?"

Craig scratched his chin in though, "Well, this was more of a final parting really, we just wished to say goodbye and invite you to return to castle Sauronix any time you wished."

"What about the sun rune?"

"What about it?" he asked in fake mild surprise, then slowly walked out of the room.

"It was great fighting with ya," said Roog with a wave and followed behind Craig. Nick and Yoran merely bowed and waved before following Roog out the door.

"You know," said Taylor, "While I must admit that Craig is a little old fashioned, he does have an excellent character."

Faourish could only nod in agreement and sat down in his seat. Saber curled up in a corner of the room while Rahal took an empty chair across from the Prince.

"So then, who's next?"

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A/N: Only now do I realize just how hard it is to manage 108 different characters, no matter how minor their roles. However, I hope that you enjoyed the new chapter.


End file.
